toy_islandsfandomcom-20200215-history
Culture of Krakozhia
The culture of Krakozhia is closely connected with its history, and its status as a point of confluence of different ethnicities has resulted in a unique character. Whilst originating from Slavic culture, over time Krakozhia has been influenced by the Germanic and Laltofian worlds. Krakozhia has traditionally been seen as accepting of artists from other countries, contributing to the versatility of Krakozhian art and its complex nuances. Class Whilst officially Krakozhia is an egalitarian society with no class system, in reality the country's population can be divided into three rough social categories: workers, peasants, and the intelligentsia. The category of "workers" includes both manual workers and low-level clerical employees. Most women of working age in Krakozhia do work, reflecting both a shortage of labour and the socialist view that employment for women helped counter inequality between the sexes. The intelligentsia are divided into three groups: the creative intelligentsia (writers, artists, and journalists), the professional intelligentsia (lawyers, educators, physicians, civil servants, and party bureaucrats), and the technical intelligentsia (engineers, high level managers of socialist enterprises, chairmen of agricultural cooperatives, and managers of service sector establishments and housing). Society An important aspect of the Krakozhian national spirit is communal solidarity, with a strong feeling of camaraderie and collective identity being felt among the population. However, those that do not fit within the narrow parameters of the state often feel like outcasts, and there is a level of jealousy among citizens due to the fact that a significant amount of cash and consumer goods come from outside the official economy either in the form of perks for those loyal to the government or as care packages from relatives in the West. Cuisine Typical Krakozhian foods include blini (a thin pancake made with buckwheat flour) and sausages. Herbs and garnishes are often used liberally in Krakozhian cuisine. A dish strongly associated with Krakozhia is szlaszeck, a type of shish kebab traditionally made from dog meat, although beef is now normally used instead. It is served with sauce, and sometimes mushrooms and salad. Another common Krakozhian dish is bigos (sometimes known as hunter's stew), which is made from finely chopped meat stewed with fresh cabbage and sauerkraut. The national drink is mineral water, with water from the capital city, known as Tikovoda, being an important export. Krakozhia also produces its own carbonated soft drinks, namely Kavosvěž, Kracockta, and Žitokola. Krakozhia is a producer of vodka, wine, and beer, with the west of the country generally being associated with vodka and the east being associated with wine and beer. Krakozhian table wines are often stored in bottles similar to the Italian fiasco bottles associated with chianti. Krakozhian beers are exported around the Toy Islands, with popular brands including Lichtensky Prazdroj and Reskie. Architecture Krakozhian cities and towns display a wide spectrum of architectural styles, mainly European in origin. Whilst modern Krakozhian history is not particularly long, with the country being colonised during the 18th century, it has architecture of styles from before this period of time, such as Byzantine, Renaissance, and Baroque. Islamic architectural influences can also be found, mainly in the southeastern areas bordering Muzaffaridistan and in mosques. Krakozhia has numerous castles and châteaux built by rich noblemen and other important persons after colonisation, and many of these have survived despite the destruction brought on by the Second World War and the Bordorian invasion in the 1980s. A positive effect of government influence on architecture in Krakozhia is that the desire to have architectural forms that are national in spirit has meant that many buildings important to the national heritage have been preserved, with many structures from before the Second World War being restored in its aftermath. Architects in Krakozhia are put under fewer restrictions in their work compared with writers, playwrights, poets, and cinematographers, who must stick close to the official ideological line. Whilst large architectural showpieces typically follow official requirements more closely, normal buildings such as residential blocks typically follow a very international, functional style. Unlike in Siberia, where only one stone kremlin in Tobolsk was built, in Krakozhia the Russians built numerous citadels to mark every seizure of territory. Whilst the local tribesmen were not as serious a threat to Russian expansion, the ever-looming spectre of the Bordorians and possible challenges from the Muzaffaridistanis made the building of military fortifications an imperative task. After the establishment of Russian rule in Krakozhia, noblemen and the rich continued the task of building forts, but by the 19th century they had begun to build castles as palaces and homes rather than for military applications, often using revivalist architectural styles to evoke a connection with the past and demonstrate their appreciation for high culture. High modernism survived in Krakozhia after the Second World War, and was exemplified in the Collective House, a tower block design that was completed in 1958. It consisted of two thirteen-story residential towers with a seven-story building in the middle, with each tower (the mirror image of the other) having two wings, one set at a 30° angle to the other creating a strong diagonal composition. A total of 292 units was proposed, including 100 three-room apartments, 160 two-room apartments, and thirty-two studio apartments, which were distributed systematically with the three-room apartments contained in the two angled front wings of the towers and those with one or two rooms being in the parallel back wings. In the basement of the residential wings, there were individual garages for residents' vehicles, bikes, motorcycles, and strollers. The building's shared amenities were concentrated in the central building between the towers. A 160-bed dormitory for single male workers was located in the top three floors, whilst the two middle floors were contained the communal dining room, social club, ceremonial hall, library, study areas, convenience store, repair shop, barber shop, and storage room. The two lower floors contained services such as the communal kitchen, shared laundry facilities, an exercise room, a casino, health clinic, and the boiler room, which supplied central heating to all the apartments, with a school and nursery being located in the basement and sub-basement. An interesting thing to note of this design was that it effectively presumed that the family unit was to be supported rather than broken apart, suggesting that the new socialist government was not as progressive as the population might think. Common throughout Krakozhia are panelak, prefabricated panel buildings which began to be built in large numbers in the late 1950s. Art All artists wishing to have their works shown in official display areas must be part of the Association of Fine Artists of the Krakozhian FPR. Visual art is used by the government in propaganda posters, which commonly depict Tabi'atstani leaders and their positive effects on Krakozhia to convince the Krakozhian people that the institutions of Tabi'atstan will perpetuate a peaceful socialist society. Other posters are used to depict Bordoris, the Barbergen Zone, and the Poldovian government in a negative light. The Krakozhian government requires that all art in Krakozhia be national in form and socialist in content, with all cosmopolitan, formalist, and American influences to be removed from the Krakozhian art scene. However, the visual arts have generally been put under far less scrutiny than the performing arts, with many works not following the socialist realist style being officially recognised. The relationship between artist and state in Krakozhia is a complicated one. In general, artists in Krakozhia are sympathetic to the position of socialist-humanism, and as a result find it easy to create works affirming anti-capitalist messages. Although artists often near self-censorship in the methods they use to avoid state censorship, official directives for works constrained by realism or glorifying socialism are often ignored. And whilst abstract art is by no means common in Krakozhia, works drawing on modernist traditions (a movement considered to be symbolic of bourgeois decadence and symptomatic of capitalist decay) are very common. Cinema and media Media in Krakozhia must follow the basic principles of being optimistic about the development of Krakozhia and Tabi'atstan as well as (normally) other socialist states, portraying the inevitable demise of capitalism when reporting on conditions in Western states, showing the superiority of the socialist system, instilling a feeling of love towards Tabi'atstan, its party, and its leaders, and finally, promoting patriotism towards the Krakozhian FPR. Readers are meant to be convinced of the invincibility of Tabi'atstan, as well as that positive developments in Krakozhia would be impossible without the guidance of the Krakozhian Workers' Party. The various news agencies in Krakozhia are not concerned with being first with news as they have no external competition, and regardless are told in advance by the Department of Agitation and Propaganda of the Krakozhian Workers' Party what tasks they are assigned to and what news to report. The Krakozhian government claims that the country's news agencies provide readers with analysis of the news based on Marxist-Leninist scientific principles. Major newspapers in Krakozhia include Gonec Ljudij ("The People's Courier") and Čŕvena Zvězda ("The Red Star"), with the most popular being "Krakozhia Daily". The official newspaper of the Krakozhian Workers' Party is "Črvena Krakoziya Tribune" (Чрвена Кракозия Трибуне), which is considered compulsory daily reading for state or party members of any importance. All Krakozhian newspapers are considered conservative by Western standards, and such pop journalism staples as gossip, crime, and fun items are absent from the Krakozhian press, although sports events are widely covered due to the importance the Krakozhian government places on sports. Local papers are more likely to report on actual problems such as vandalism, pollution, or lack of variety in shops than national papers, and consequently are not exported to the West. One of the most popular magazines in Krakozhia is Žurnal/Журнал (literally translating to "Magazine"), which includes a mix of high culture, travel, fashion, gossip, recipes, and advertisements, making it much more interesting compared with the country's generally predictable newspapers. It is known for being the only authorised nude-centrefold magazine in Krakozhia. It is published on a monthly basis and printed in A5 format, with an average circulation of roughly 2,491,000 copies. Žurnal is exported outside the country and is a source of hard currency for the Krakozhian government as well as being a way to project a luxurious image of life under a socialist system of governance. In general, newspapers have been replaced as the main elements of mass media in Krakozhia by radio and television, a fact recognised by the KRP. As attempts to stop people from watching Western broadcasts (mostly emanating from neighbouring Poldovia) have failed, Krakozhian broadcasters have been forced to improve the quality of their own programmes. The majority of Krakozhian television focuses on sport, old movies, light entertainment, and educational programmes, with a fair number of Western films thrown into the mix. Radio is widely used by the Krakozhian government to gain influence abroad, with the two main stations used for this purpose being "Voice of the Krakozhian FPR" and "Radio Tikomira", with the latter being broadcast in numerous different languages including Farsi, Laltofian, and English. The movie industry is very active in Krakozhia, with the Krakozhian movie industry being particularly well known for its folk and children's movies. Domestically, “Red Westerns”, movies about the Second World War, and movies about problems in daily life are the most popular. Cinemas in Krakozhia screen domestic, Eastern European, Tabi'atstani bloc, and some Hollywood productions, although the latter are by no means common due to censorship and the costs involved in purchasing licenses. The Krakozhian Film Joint-Stock Company (Krakozhian: Krakozy Film Akcionerny Kompanija/''Кракозы Филм Акционерны Компанија'') is the state-owned film studio of the Krakozhian FPR, and produces almost all films made in Krakozhia, with some political/military documentaries and educational films being made by the Krakozhian People's Army's Army Film Studio. Music Literature After the establishment of communist rule, all books published in Krakozhia had to be approved by the government and underwent censorship. Up until the 1950s, most of the literature published in Krakozhia was anti-fascist in nature, or depicted the economic development of the country. The trend of writing about the establishment of industry and the raising of ordinary workers' to the status of heroes continued through to the early 1960s, with socialist realism being the dominating trend. Beginning in the 1960s however, Krakozhian literature began to lose its ideological overtones, although it would continue to be aligned with the Krakozhian Workers' Party's cultural and political programmes. Romanticist literature made a comeback in Krakozhia during the 1970s. Despite the establishment of rule under the Krakozhian Workers' Party whose ideology opposes old bourgeois values, Krakozhian classics have retained their importance and even gained new levels of importance as the Krakozhian government seems to be seen as the legitimate representative of Krakozhian national ideals. Literature also began to replace journalism in Krakozhia in that it took over the task of throwing the spotlight on the state's failings, which helped to elevate writers and other intellectuals to a high moral position amongst the Krakozhian population. Clothing and fashion After the 1947 coup that brought the Krakozhian Workers' Party to power, the new communist government launched a campaign against Western fashion, claiming that it was wasteful and that it imposed uniformity on the masses. However, Western fashion continued to occupy spaces in women's magazines in Krakozhia. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Krakozhian government argued that rather than slenderness, robustness and strength characterised the ideal socialist woman, with modesty and asexuality also playing a big role in this image. Tight fitting clothing was criticised for disturbing women at work, and evening clothes were described as ideologically suspect. Women's magazines also criticised Western fashion trends, though focused more on its class-based inequality rather than trying to deny its appeal. Furthermore, as the government was often forced to employ prewar designers, there were no radical changes in clothing styles apart from a few utopian designs placing emphasis on gender-ambiguity. With the renewed rise of popularity of neoclassical designs in socialist architecture, formal styles of dress and conventional views of femininity arose again in Krakozhia during the 1950s, although Krakozhia also followed the rest of the socialist world in including ethnic designs in many of its fashion items. Officially approved sources of inspiration for fashion included ethnic dress seen in the countryside and high art collections in museums, although fashion students in Krakozhia suffered from a lack of opportunities to look at fashion magazines. By the mid-1950s, conventional prewar aesthetics and rules about correct dress had become the norm again in Krakozhia, with requirements for designs to be for functional or modest clothes being completely dropped, and starting from the late 1950s, Western fashion had become fully acceptable again. At the same time, large boutique stores rivalling their Western counterparts began opening in major cities in Krakozhia with modern window dressing and ornate decorations rather than cluttered displays. In comparison to the West, Krakozhian models are more often than not everyday women wearing less make up and showing less skin, albeit typically being on the pretty side, and most women's magazines place emphasis on work, motherhood, and party politics. On the other hand, some magazines (like Žurnal) push the boundaries when it comes to fashion and are considered vaguely oppositional for doing so. Design The first designers in Krakozhia set about adapting the Bauhaus movement to designs for the new socialist republic. Toleration of this lasted only for a very short time, and in 1950, the KRP cracked down on what it called a "formalist movement", which effectively meant clamping down on any art, design, or architecture that drew on modernism, functionalism, or "international style. The heyday of this suppression of modernism and functionalism would last from 1950 to 1953. By 1958 however, the Krakozhian government was increasingly being put under pressure to accept modernism and functionalism with large sections of the population showing interest in the style, and especially with the consumer turn of that year the government needed to satisfy consumer demands, resulting in it shedding off its previous attachments to historicism and and accepting modernism as a style. The 1960 Fifth Krakozhian Art Exposition also showcased functionalist vases that were simply porcelain tubes, subverting the traditional ideas of a vase being a decorative piece and making it a purely functional item for holding flowers. In addition, the Bauhaus inspired artists' call for functional and easily reproducible pieces was the sort of design philosophy that appealed to the government, now trying to solve the issue of providing enough consumer goods for the population. In the same year, the Ministry of Culture formed the Central Institute for Design in Tikomira, with Bauhaus-minded designers being at its head. A fairly coherent discourse was developed that defined "socialist design" and "socialist aesthetics", with plastics playing a large role in this due to its popularity both with the government and the population. Plastics were seen as a litmus test to divide capitalist and socialist societies; whilst under capitalism plastics were used to make tasteless kitschy duplicates of Rococo-styled furniture and bric-a-brac, under socialism it was used in the proper way as citizens were educated in taste, with resulting good choices in design and materials used for production. Leisure The official view of leisure by the Krakozhian government is that leisure should serve to develop the people's talents, creativity, and health. As such, it was believed that leisure should harness the people's spare energy and be organised to direct people towards useful pursuits. Apart from providing a wide range of state sponsored activities, the Krakozhian government also formed the Lipask Central Institute for Youth Research (LCIYR) to keep an eye on what people actually did with their free time. Despite its official mission, the LCIYR takes a remarkable relaxed approach towards the forms in which leisure take and the importance of both voluntary activities and personal interests. In reality though, leisure time in Krakozhia takes on much the same form as leisure in the Western world with most of people's free time being spent outside of official activities, albeit occasionally impinged by the various voluntary-compulsory mass activities such as youth organisation camps. Native American hobbyism, also known as Indianthusiasm, is quite popular in Krakozhia, partially due to romanticised images of Native Americans as noble warriors, but also because of the political aspect of the activity, with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels having used Native American tribal structures as examples for theories on family, private property, and the state. Historical reenactments with Krakozhians playing Native Americans (particularly focusing on combat reenactment though also including other living history activities) is relatively commonplace, although emphasis is put on immersion in a certain era rather than replaying specific events, with the Native Americans typically being portrayed in a sympathetic light especially compared with colonial Americans. Indianthusiasm is sometimes connected with the hippie movement in Krakozhia The popularity of nudism is another cultural speciality of Krakozhia. Unlike in the other Tabi'atstani bloc (and indeed, most other countries), nude and clothed bathers are not segregated in Krakozhia. Nudism was technically not legalised in Krakozhia until 1953, when the activity was restricted to government assigned areas, but by the early 1970s the phenomenon had effectively become normalised in Krakozhian society and so widespread that the government gave up on attempting to restrict it. By the 1980s, the Krakozhian government had turned instead to boasting about the prevalence of nudism in the country, describing it as a positive outcome of living in a socialist state and fitting it within its pro-natalist narrative. Surprisingly, especially considering the lax environmental regulations in Krakozhia, camping is a popular weekend leisure activity for Krakozhians. Originally, Krakozhian camping culture followed the Soviet 1920s tradition of "proletarian tourism", with the Krakozhian government promoting austerity and physically vigorous activities in such camping activities. However, more citizens were interested in what was labelled "wild camping", which referred to going to undesignated camping sites rather than state-sponsored resorts. This allowed for the creation of independent political spaces similar to the dacha culture in the Soviet Union, although it also served to ensure silence rather than open criticism of the state, and as such the Krakozhian government did not decide to pursue disciplinary action against these wild tourists. In the 1960s, tourist planners and product designers worked to improve the types of camping equipment available to Krakozhian citizens, making use of modern plastics and synthetic fibres and making camping more comfortable and "fashionable". Today, the Krakozhian government continues to promote camping as it creates the image of a group of enlightened citizens who enjoy nature and simple luxuries found at camp sites. Mass organisations Associations Under Krakozhian law, all associations are under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and all individuals wishing to establish an association must register with the Ministry. Friendship leagues such as the Tabi'atstani- and Györmár-Kazvhalian-friendship societies are strongly encouraged by the government and normally easily receive official approval. Any associations involved in either economics or politics are effectively out of the question and are almost automatically denied approval. Trade unions Some 80% of Krakozhian workers are part of the Revolutionary Krakozhian Trade Union Alliance, a massive federation of various pre-communist trade unions. Trade unions in Krakozhia play a very different role from those in the West, with their goal being to mobilise workers to fulfil production goals. Youth organisations The two main youth organisations in Krakozhia are the Pioneers (for those ages eight to fifteen years old) and the Krakozhian Socialist Union of Youth (for those ages fifteen to twenty-five), with both aimed at preparing members for joining the Krakozhian Workers' Party. By the 1970s however, both organisations had become somewhat apolitical and focused instead on recreational activities, with some complaining that they would take in any new members. Separate from the Pioneers and the Krakozhian Socialist Union of Youth is the Union for Cooperation with the Army, a paramilitary organisation similar to the Soviet DOSAAF, aimed at providing Krakozhian youths with military training before joining the Krakozhian People's Army, although in other aspects it is reminiscent of a regular Boy Scout movement. Activities range from medical to flight training, with dog handling and shortwave radio operation being particularly popular. Sports Sport plays a significant role in the lives of the Krakozhian populace. On the international stage Krakozhia strikes up envy and suspicion in its sporting successes, both fuelled by systematic state sponsored doping administered by the State Security Service. Ideologically, sport also has a strong tradition in working class culture, another reason the Krakozhian Workers' Party places such great emphasis on it. The Spartakiad, a sports festival that centres on mass gymnastics displays, is held every five years in Krakozhia and is an example of a government sponsored mass sporting event. The three most popular sports are football, ice hockey, and tennis. Krakozhian tennis players are famous throughout the Toy Islands region, and Tabi'atstan has been known to import Krakozhian tennis coaches to train her own players. Subculture Various subcultures exist in Krakozhia and often have a complicated relationship with the government, as even those without explicitly political interests may still be viewed as suspicious. The 1960s, and particularly the year 1968, saw an explosion in the formation of countercultures and subcultures in Krakozhia, ranging from hippies to mods. During the 1980s punks, skinheads, goths, and metalheads had also established themselves in Krakozhia. Gender The Krakozhian government has been known for actively pushing for the emancipation of women, and has one of the largest female labour forces in the world, although political participation of women in the country remains low and there continues to be a level of bias in what fields women are predominantly found working in. Overall Krakozhia has a liberal attitude towards sexuality, with homosexuality being decriminalised in the mid-20th century, although pornography and prostitution are both illegal. Militarism Car culture Humour Category:Krakozhia Category:Krakozhian culture